We tried to ignore it. Tried to ignore her. But in the weeks and months that followed, our attraction only grew. What was the old saying? You always want the things you can’t have? Well that was Karissa in a nutshell. She was our employee, her persona hit a little too close to home, and she was strictly off-limits according to our own gentleman’s agreement.
Three strikes, we’re out.
The only thing left had been our little guessing game, which I knew Camden and I looked very forward to each week. Roderick too, although he’d never admit it. He still made guesses though. He still tried.
And now… this.
I’d been weak, sure, but hadn’t we all? As Karissa said, the pressure had been too much. The added sexual tension of actually living with this beautiful creature had pushed us all over the edge, whether we wanted to take responsibility for it or not.
Still, breaking our agreement had been so fucking worth it.
I replayed our first encounter in my mind again, as I already had a dozen times before. She was amazing, inside and out. Socially flexible and emotionally open. Physically flawless. A total sexual goddess.
Just like…
I couldn’t say it. Couldn’t even think it.
As always, I had to push it away.
I ended up jumping into my truck and quitting our new job site an hour and a half early. It’s not like I was getting much done anyway. All I could think about was getting home and straightening things out. Meeting the others and going over our options, even if it meant fighting Roderick’s inevitable plea that we stop what we’d been doing and go back to the way things were.
Because quite honestly, fuck the way things were.
I’m a big girl. I’m fine with it.
Karissa’s voice reverberated through the hollows of my mind. Would she really be fine with it, what we actually wanted? It was a hell of a lot to ask.
Still, she wanted us to talk. To somehow work it out between us and get back to her.
And I couldn’t wait to get back to her.
Twenty-Five
KARISSA
“So all principle framing is done, and the stucco guys should finish by Tuesday,” I said. “They’ll come back here to patch up anything we punch holes in of course, but that’ll be at the very end.”
Roderick nodded, pushing a forkful of eggs onto a piece of burnt toast. He was always burning his toast. Either our toaster sucked, or he just liked it that way.
“And what about the electrician?”
“Rough electric is finished,” I declared proudly. “As of this morning.”
“And the panels?”
“Done. Both wings.”
Bryce glanced at Camden, who seemed to make an ‘I told you so’ face.
“Sweet.”
It could’ve been an awkward breakfast, if we weren’t discussing business. But it was Saturday, and we couldn’t talk business forever. Only a handful of crews would be here today, and most of them would be working the outer grounds.
Last night I’d made myself extra scarce, to give the guys time. I’d left shortly after they all arrived home, and stayed out well past midnight. There was a bar near Easton’s Beach I’d been meaning to try, and it seemed as good a time as any.
“We’re going out then tonight,” said Roderick abruptly, “to celebrate. All of us.”
I paused, halfway to bringing my coffee to my lips. Hiding my surprise would’ve been impossible, so I didn’t even try.
“All four of us?”
“Yes.”
“To celebrate the electric being done?”
Roderick chuckled through his beard and rolled his eyes at me. “Sure, that.” He chewed through another bite of eggs before mumbling: “And also, so we can talk.”
I’d avoided them last night by nursing a few drinks, and then walking along the beach in the moonlight. As with most things in my life, I’d done it alone. Going solo, I’d found, was the best way to clear my head.
That’s not entirely why you’re alone, Karissa.
No, I supposed it wasn’t. I hadn’t always been alone, just as I hadn’t always been here. Once upon a time, I’d had a life. A career. The family I’d grown up with.
A brother.
The sharp stab of sorrow returned, somewhere deep in my chest. It was a little duller now, a little less sharp around the edges.
But of course, it was still there.
Concord. The department.
Reese.
I swallowed my latest sip of coffee, determined to pull myself back to the present. Reese was gone. Had been for a while. So was everything to do with my past life. I’d cried about it enough times to realize crying didn’t change a single fucking thing. No amount of tears would put things back the way they were. Not after what happened.
Instead, I decided to stay true to my own little vow: to stay focused on the here and now. After my fifth beer at the bar last night, I’d finally managed to come to a decision. It was a little unorthodox, a little crazy, but it was the only thing to do considering our unique set of circumstances.
And now apparently the guys had come to a decision as well.
“So we’re all going out, huh?”
Roderick crunched down on his toast and nodded.
“What time?”
“We figured we’ll head out around six, grab something to eat,” said Camden.
Hmmm. It seemed they were on the same page, suddenly.
“Should I dress up?”
“Probably,” smiled Bryce. “Besides, wouldn’t you want to? You have to be tired of wearing jeans all day.”
“My jeans are comfortable,” I countered. “But… okay. I’ll dress nice.”
I could only imagine what was going on in their minds. They probably thought my entire wardrobe consisted of jeans and workboots.
And thongs.
Yeah. That too.
“Then we’re all set,” Roderick declared, clapping his hands together. He pushed back from the table and dropped his napkin. “We’ll meet you downstairs later at six, all three of us.”
“So a triple date,” I smiled.
“Quadruple date,” Camden corrected. “Sort of.”
“Whatever,” I shrugged, smiling as I picked up one of Roderick’s uneaten pieces of toast. I wrinkled my nose at it. “As long as you guys are buying.”
Twenty-Six
CAMDEN
She was an absolute
